Ruffa’s ‘homecoming’

TOKYO (AP) - Japan's Emperor Akihito and Empress Michiko were set Monday to begin a 10-day trip to Sweden, Britain and the three Baltic countries.

The imperial couple depart Tokyo Monday for Stockholm, where they will meet with Swedish King Carl XVI Gustaf and Queen Silvia, and join celebrations marking the 300th anniversary of the birth of Sweden's most famous scientist, Carl Linnaeus.

Linnaeus is best known for creating the system that became the international standard for scientifically classifying living organisms.

The imperial couple will then head for Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania from May 24-27 and meet the leaders of those countries.

For the last leg of their trip, Akihito and Michiko are scheduled to go to London on May 27 where they will meet with Queen Elizabeth II and attend more events celebrating Linnaeus.

They return home on May 30.

Concerns had been raised that the 72-year-old empress might not be up to the trip. In March, she suffered bleeding from the walls of her intestines, nose bleeds and mouth ulcers. The palace said the illness was stress related. In the early 1990s, she was unable to speak for months after suffering a nervous breakdown, reportedly over unflattering tabloid stories.

But Michiko said at a news conference last week that she was fine.

"I have never had such an illness before, but I have gotten enough rest and I am recovered," she said.